RIO DE JANEIRO -- The president of cyclings world governing body defended the Olympic road course on Saturday, calling it a fair test and suggesting those who crashed pushed past their limits.Brian Cookson addressed a number of other issues during a wide-ranging news conference at the Rio de Janeiro Games at the midway point of the cycling program, including doping, the schedule of the track cycling program and several road racing issues.But perhaps the biggest hot-button issue through a week of competition was a road course that some had labeled too dangerous. One particularly nasty descent caused riders such as Italian star Vincenzo Nibali to go down and left Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten in the hospital.Weve had discussions about the number of crashes and the circumstances. It is my belief and our belief at the UCI that the courses were in the bounds of what was reasonable, Cookson said.Van Vleuten spent several days in the hospital with a concussion and three small fractures to her spine. She flew home to the Netherlands on Friday to continue her recovery.Its the riders responsibility to make the right decisions, Cookson said. I went to speak with Annemiek in the hospital and talked to her, and in her case, it was an error of judgment there (going too fast on the descent).Cookson was also asked about the silver medal won by Olga Zabelinskaya in the time trial. It came just days after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled a ban on Russian athletes who had been barred from competing for prior doping offenses was unenforceable, allowing Zabelinskaya to compete.The Russian cyclist who finished second in the time trial was entitled to be here under the rules of the (World Anti-Doping Agency) and the IOC, Cookson said. Im guessing she will not be the only previously convicted doped athlete at the games.Cookson has been working to clean up the sport after years of doping, including Lance Armstrongs admission of guilt a few years ago. And he said the positive test of a Brazilian cyclist in an out-of-competition test the week before the road race was a sign of progress.Ive said this many times before, cycling has been leading for many years in the fight against doping in sport, Cookson said. Whether there is a small number of athletes trying to cheat, I hope not, but if they are, we will catch them and we will sanction them.In other issues:- Cookson said the UCI is still examining the blood bags from Operation Puerto, the Spanish police investigation into a doping ring led by Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes. Cookson otherwise declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, saying only that when we have something to report, we will.- The UCI is confident WorldTour teams will compete in the team time trial at the world championships in Qatar. Several teams announced plans to boycott the event, in part because they are required to compete at their own expense.- Cookson said he was open to smaller teams in major events such as the Tour de France, but he warned that I think some of the bigger teams would object to that, and there are pros and cons to the details of that. Its something I wouldnt rule out but lets move forward gradually.- The UCI hopes to expand the cycling program at future Olympics, though Cookson did not say whether it would be merely an expansion of the track program or the addition of another discipline, such as downhill mountain biking or freestyle BMX competition. Vans Shoes For Sale Cheap . 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Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Discount Vans Shoes Australia . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. COLLEGE STATION, Texas --- Amanda Dachs led all players offensively on Sunday afternoon, but the Georgia volleyball team (13-14, 1-13) couldnt find its full offensive sync, as the Bulldogs fell 3-0 at Texas A&M (18-7, 12-2).The Aggies earned the sweep after recording wins of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-16.Texas A&M played a very balanced and aggressive match today, said head coach Lizzy Stemke. They are a fully-loaded team, and we were unable to slow them down enough. When we were able to keep our offense diversified, there were some nice stretches of play on our side of the net, but the pressure that A&M kept on us made it difficult for us to keep that consistent. We are looking forward to the upcoming home stretch and fighting for improvements every step of the way.Dachs put up a match-best 13 kills while she also tied for the team high with six digs and tabbed the lone service ace for the Bulldogs. Following her on the attack was Maddie Lobenstein with eight kills. Cassidy Anderson also tallied six digs, as Desiree McCray put up a team-best five blocks at the net.In the opening frame, Georgia found ssome offensive rhythm from Dachs, as she had five kills in the frame, but the Aggie blocking game kept the attackers at bay to win 25-20.dddddddddddd. Georgia got within one late after a Lobenstein kill at 19-18, but Texas A&M rallied back to take the win.Texas A&M got up early in the second set, including as much as 10. Georgia found a run late, spreading out the offense with four different Bulldogs getting kills and holding off Texas A&Ms set point three times, but the home team finished it off 25-20.Out of the break, the Aggies hit a match-best .417 in the final frame. Texas A&M got out to a 9-2 lead, forcing Georgia to use an early timeout. A kill by Dachs closed the gap to 15-10, but the Aggies used a late run to pull out the win at 25-16.Georgia closes out its home schedule with a three-game homestand, opening it up with Arkansas on Friday and Ole Miss on Sunday. The team will then host Senior Night on Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday against Missouri. ' ' '